Here we are again, it’s time for my monthly round-up of the Degustabox– the ultimate foodie gift box packed full of surprise products that are often brand new to the market! Each month 9-14 items will arrive on your doorstep for the bargain price of £12.99 (far less than the cost of buying each product) and it makes for the perfect festive treat for the foodies in your life.

First up were some products from Holy Cow (£3.38 each)- two authentic Indian curries made from all natural ingredients, no artificial colours/flavours/preservatives, are gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs. I’m not a big curry eater but I am impressed with how these look. I’ve handed these over to my spice mad dad to cook up and I look forward to seeing the results. Far more up my street were the Kent’s Kitchen flavour shots, which are the perfect way to jazz up meat or prawns (£1.85 each). I got fajita seasoning in my mix which I can’t wait to cook up and add to salads or tortilla wraps for a slightly different lunch time feast.

BranstonHave had a re-vamp and I was excited to see a Tomato chutney nestled in to my box. I eat a lot of cold, salad buffet style meals and love a dollop of something flavoursome to give it some oomph, this is the perfect way to deliver that hit and they only cost £1.50 a jar. Kettle Chips also featured in the box with their Salsa & mesquite flavour (one of their original flavours), I may or may not have been using these as a tasting vessel for the chutney (rrp £2.19)

Drinks wise there was quite a selection in this month’s box, all of which are new to me, although to be fair most drinks are new to me as I tend to be a creature of habit. The Pip Organic cloudy apple juice contains no added sugars and are made with 100% organic juice, I’m not often a fruit juice kind of girl but apple is the exception to that and this one is really lovely…a bit of a treat at £1.50 per bottle but a lovely indulgence. Cool Dawn (£1.49 per can) is something totally new to me and one I haven’t actually tried yet. It’s a herbal detox drink that helps to prevent a hangover, it’s recommended that you drink one towards the end of a big night and another in the morning if required and whilst I’m not a big alcohol drinker these days I am quite sure these will be on standby over the next few weeks as the festive season kicks off. Finally there was a bottle of Italian cider from Montano which again I haven’t tried- despite my West Country roots I really don’t enjoy Cider. I’ve passed this bottle (rrp £2.79) over to my Dad for his expert verdict, but it certainly looks very swish in it’s elegant glass bottle.

Lindt never let me down and it was brilliant to discover five of their “Lindor My Melting Moment” treats (65p each) nestled in the bottom of the box. Nothing beats Lindt chocolate in my book (chocolate snobs may disagree) and I even managed to save a couple of these to share around, which was tough as they really are excellent.

The box also included a sample sachet of Drink me Chai’s Spiced Chai which is the perfect winter warming drink. Simply add milk or water for an authentic Indian treat, fantastic after a long Winter walk (or a long day Christmas shopping

As a special gift to long-term subscribers and bloggers who have supported Degustabox since day one there was also the inclusion of some Baru Chocolates marshmallows in the box. I’ve been eyeing these up in Waitrose for a couple of months and goodness me they were worth waiting to try, SO good.

Happy First Birthday Degustabox! After almost an entire year of trying the boxes for myself I can hand on heart recommend signing yourself up to receive at least one box for yourself, or as a gift to someone in your life who loves their food. To tempt you further I have a discount code to give you £3 off when you register for your first box, simply at VEK34 at checkout and then anxiously await your first delivery!